SX280 - battery life shooting video

[factoryguy]

UPDATED May 5:

I apologize to the forum for mixing two different problems.  They are unrelated.

Problem #1:  User error.  I thought I was using a class 6 SD card but I was wrong. The yellow "!" indicates a pathologically slow card.  Upgrading to a class 10 resolved this problem.

Problem #2: UNRESOLVED.  Red battery indicator comes on prematurely.  On a fresh charge, it'll turn red after recording for a couple of minutes.  On a partially drained battery, it turns red immediately upon entering movie mode or pressing the record button.  Turn the camera off and then right back on in "still" mode and it shows full charge and works fine ... until trying to shoot video.  I have not precisely measured recording times but it'll record for at least 20 (maybe 30?) minutes while flashing red.

[utomo]

is this just SX 280 problem ? all production batch ? or just old production ?

or all Digic 6 problems ?

thanks

[LSousa]

Don't buy a Canon, buy a Nikon or Sony or Panasonic.... Canon doesn't know their clients - the people who pay their wages... I bought a camera that makes more than 4 minutes of video with a battery...

[scupking]

Face it canon is not going to fix this issue. I use to only by canon p&s cameras but after this big screw up and them not fixing the issue I will never buy a canon or recommend someone buying a canon again. Canon does not care about its customers If they did this issue would be fixed. Sorry cannon you screwed up big time on this one and won't fix the issue. I returned mine months ago and went with a panasonic zs19 and couldn't be happier.

[Davy]

Canon hasn't fixed this issue by a long chaulk,  a firmware update is not the answer. If it was there would be many people happy instead of complaining.

But to be fair the SX280/270 is for talking photos, a video recorder  is much bigger and carrries a far bigger battery is for taking video movies.

The  SX270/280 first job is to take stills, the video movies is just a gimmick - lets face it the sound ain't exactly stellar, it can't be with the mic inside such a small body... not exactly on a mic boom is it? It's gonna pick the slightest of squeeks up.

Canon have made a poor product compared to many others, what were they doing that day? The battery a 1Amp/hr lithium is a gimmick in this day and age.... did they really release this Camera with a poor battery life, geesh the cameras not the cheapest... or did they skimp on the battery capacity afterwards to cut the price?

This forum has done nothing to awake Canon who gives the impression having sweapt the issue under the carpet.

Whithin a week or two of it's release they were already 2nd hand and refurbished units on Ebay - say's a lot for a leading Manufacturer. 

Canon doesn't give a toss! There are other products out there that beats the daylight out of the SX270/280 with regards to battery life, which looks like a product rushed out to keep up with the competitors.

 People ought to learn one lesson by all this..... never buy a Canon product again - stay clear if you don't want to be bitten again.

[ruko]

Good advice Davy. Come on Canon, do the right thing here. Fix this low battery light problem.

[Bluestar48]

Actually, I have the SX210iS over a year now and video wise, the battery has never been a problem and I do a lot of video with it on holiday trips. I do carry a spare battery with me but I rarely have to use it. So saying that the compact these days can't handle video well is quite erroneous. 

[dswansonil]

Many compact cameras have excellent battery life when shooting video but the SX280, which this forum topic addresses, isn't one of them.

[4thFootPvt]

I have solved the battery issue.

The trouble is that the battery contacts and the camera power contacts don't stay together.  The battery is just a bit too small for the space, and the tab that holds it in place is on the wrong side of the battery.  

My solution is to add a bit of the fuzzy part of velcro to the inside of the battery door.  It holds the battery contacts securely together, and the problem goes away.

If you happen to use the ACK-DC40 AC adapter kit, you'll need to punch a small hole in the Velcro to allow the power plug to get through to the adapter, but if you don't use one, just stick the Velcro strip on the inside of the battery door, and your problem is solved.

[samintx]

Interesting. If the fuzzy velcro doesn't work I'll remember your suggestion

[LSousa]

I have two batteries one with tape at middle and the other one normal. I use the taped battery to make videos and the other to photos. Attention every time I charge the taped battery i remove the tape because I'm afraid the battery explodes...